Techniques for VoIP provider interconnection over the internet using a shared subscriber contact identifier translation service

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method, an apparatus and a recording medium are provided for facilitating access by a subscriber over a communications network. The method comprises: acquiring a query message comprising a subscriber contact identifier associated with the subscriber; responsive to acquiring the query message: identifying a plurality of communications endpoint identifiers associated with the subscriber contact identifier, each communications endpoint identifier being associated with a communications device and reachability information, wherein the reachability information reflects a degree of subscriber accessibility via the communications device; and providing a response to the query message comprising at least one of the plurality of the communications endpoint identifiers, wherein the at least one of the plurality of the communications endpoint identifiers is selected based at least in part on the reachability information. The recording medium comprises instructions to configure the apparatus to perform the method.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/231,333, filed Mar. 31, 2014, the content of which is incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a translation service forenabling communications over a data network such as the Internet, andmore specifically, to computer-implemented techniques for Voice over IP(“VoIP”) provider interconnection over the Internet using a sharedsubscriber contact identifier translation service.

BACKGROUND

VoIP technology converts voice and video signals into network packets.The network packets are transported using various Internet Protocol(“IP”)-based protocols. The Internet Protocol, also referred to as “IP”,is the principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suitefor relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing functionenables internetworking, and essentially establishes what is commonlyreferred to as the Internet. The Internet is the global system ofinterconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocolsuite. The Internet may be thought of as a network or networks thatinclude many private, public, academic, business, and governmentnetworks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array ofelectronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.

VoIP providers provide VoIP-based services using VoIP technology fortransporting voice and video from subscribers to the VoIP providerpremises. VoIP-based services can be accessed through a managed IPnetwork such as, for example, an IP network owned by the VoIP provider.VoIP based services can also be accessed through a public IP networksuch as, for example, the Internet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a networked computing environment in whichexample embodiments of the present disclosure are implemented.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for providing reachability information inconjunction with a translation service on the Internet, according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating steps for VoIP providerinterconnection over the Internet using a shared subscriber contactidentifier translation service, according to some example embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating steps for providing reachabilityinformation to the translation service, according to example embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system in whichexample embodiments of the present disclosure are deployed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Computer-implemented techniques for VoIP provider interconnection overthe Internet using a shared subscriber contact identifier translationservice are disclosed.

One challenge facing VoIP providers is interconnection. In the VoIPcontext, interconnection refers to the linking of two networks using IP.The two networks can be owned or managed by different VoIP providers.For example, interconnection may be necessary when a subscriber of oneVoIP provider wishes to establish a VoIP telephone call with asubscriber of a different VoIP provider.

Traditionally, interconnection has been accomplished through the publicswitched telephone network. The public switched telephone network, alsoreferred to as the “PSTN”, is the aggregate of the world'scircuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national,regional, or local telephone operators, providing infrastructure andservices for public telecommunication. In the context ofinterconnection, the PSTN is often used as the transit network betweenthe originating network of one VoIP provider and the terminating networkof another VoIP provider. Interconnection through the PSTN has a numberof disadvantages. For example, a VoIP telephone call between a VoIPoriginating provider and a VoIP terminating provider must be signalconverted twice for transport over the PSTN, once between the VoIPoriginating provider and the PSTN and another time between the PSTN andthe VoIP terminating provider. Relatedly, capital expenditures areincreased for VoIP providers. The VoIP providers are typically requiredto invest in conversion equipment for connecting their networks to thePSTN. Further, PSTN providers may charge fees to originating VoIPproviders for using the PSTN for interconnection under a calling partypays business model.

Given the drawbacks associated with using the PSTN for interconnection,VoIP providers have sought solutions that provide interconnectionwithout using the PSTN as the transit network. For example, a VoIPprovider may consult a database to resolve a dialed PSTN telephonenumber (i.e., an E.164 number) into a uniform resource identifier(“URI”) that can be used for example in telephone call setup over theInternet. In this way, interconnection between the originating VoIPprovider and the terminating VoIP provider is accomplished using theInternet as the transit network, as opposed to the PSTN. Unfortunately,the usefulness of such resolution databases is often limited by theirrelatively static nature. For example, information in the database maybe incorrect or out-of-date or incomplete.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides for VoIP providerinterconnection over the Internet using a shared subscriber contactidentifier translation service. Advantageously, techniques disclosedherein may be used by a VoIP provider to bypass the PSTN as the transitnetwork for interconnection between VoIP providers. In addition,techniques disclosed herein allow an Internet communications servicesystem, the translation service, or another network entity to select oneof multiple communications endpoint identifiers associated with asubscriber contact identifier to use for communications. The selectioncan be based on reachability information associated with thecommunications endpoint identifiers. However, the selection can be basedon more than just reachability. For example, in addition to or insteadof selecting a communications endpoint identifier based on associatedreachability information, a selection can be based on network routingpreferences, subscriber communication mode preferences, subscribercommunication responsiveness, and criteria other than just reachability.

Introduction

Referring to the figures, example embodiments of the present disclosurewill now be described. In the following description, for the purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent,however, that the present disclosure may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent disclosure. The example embodiments are primarily described withreference to block diagrams of flowcharts. As to the flowcharts, eachblock within the flowcharts represents both a method step and anapparatus element for performing the method step. Depending upon therequirements of the particular implementation at hand, the correspondingapparatus element may be configured in hardware, software, firmware, orcombinations thereof.

Overview

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a shared subscribercontact identifier translation service for facilitating communicationsover the Internet between subscribers of different VoIP providers. Morespecifically, the translation service provides a translation database ona data network. The translation database associates subscriber contactidentifiers with Internet contact information for the subscribers. Insome embodiments of the present disclosure, the subscriber contactidentifiers in the translation database include 1) PSTN telephonenumbers (e.g., E.164 numbers), 2) private subscriber identifiers forVoIP services (e.g., Skype® identifiers), 3) e-mail addresses, or 4)session initiation protocol (SIP) addresses (e.g., a SIP URI). Thesession initiation protocol, or “SIP”, is a signaling communicationsprotocol used for controlling multimedia communication sessions such asvoice and video calls over IP networks. The Internet contact informationassociated in the translation database with a subscriber contactidentifier includes a set of one or more communications endpointidentifiers of Internet communications services through which thesubscriber may be reachable by communications over the Internet. In someembodiments of the present disclosure, a communications endpointidentifier is an e-mail address or a SIP address (e.g., a SIP URI).

While in some embodiments a subscriber contact identifier is an E.164number, a private VoIP subscriber identifier, an e-mail address, or aSIP URI, a subscriber contact identifier is an Internet chat serviceuser identifier or a social network service user identifier in otherembodiments. For example, a subscriber contact identifier could be aninternet relay chat (IRC) user identifier, a Yahoo!® Messenger® (YMSG)user identifier, an AOL® Instant Messenger® (AIM) user identifier, or aFacebook® user identifier. Similarly, while a communications endpointidentifier is an e-mail address or a SIP URI in some embodiments, acommunications endpoint identifier, more generally, can be anyinformation identifying a resource or communications service on theInternet. In some cases a communications endpoint identifier, inaddition to identifying a resource or communications service on theInternet, specifies a location (e.g., an address) on the Internet wherethe resource or communications service is located. In other cases acommunications endpoint identifier can be resolved for example using thedomain name system to a location or address on the Internet.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the translation serviceprovides a query interface, accessible over a network, for resolving agiven subscriber contact identifier to Internet contact information forthe subscriber. In response to a query to resolve a subscriber contactidentifier, the translation service consults the translation databasefor the Internet contact information associated with the specifiedsubscriber contact identifier. The associated Internet contactinformation, or a portion thereof, is then returned to the querier. Thequerier can then use the returned Internet contact information toestablish communications with the subscriber over the Internet. In someembodiments, the querier is an “originating” VoIP provider that isattempting to establish Internet communications for an “originating”subscriber with a “terminating” subscriber as identified by thesubscriber contact identifier.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a communicationsendpoint identifier of an Internet communications system associated inthe translation database with a subscriber contact identifier is furtherassociated in the translation database with reachability informationpertaining to the reachability of the subscriber through the Internetcommunications system. Where a subscriber contact identifier isassociated in the translation database with multiple communicationsendpoint identifiers, the querier can use the reachability informationto select one the multiple resource identifiers through which thesubscriber is most likely to be reached. Alternatively, the translationservice can use the reachability information to select the best one ofthe multiple resource identifiers to return to the querier.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the reachabilityinformation for a communications endpoint identifier includes subscriberpresence information, Internet communications system quality-of-service(QoS) information, Internet traffic/congestion information, and/orsubscriber preference information. Subscriber presence information mayindicate for example if the subscriber is currently online or loggedinto the Internet communications system associated with thecommunications endpoint identifier. Quality-of-service information andInternet traffic/congestion information may indicate for example theoverall performance of the Internet communications system associatedwith the communications endpoint identifier from the perspective of theusers of the system on the network. Subscriber preference informationmay indicate for example a level of preference of the subscriber to becontacted through the Internet communications system associated with thecommunications endpoint identifier. The level of preference may be anyinformation that may be used to rank or order multiple communicationsendpoint identifiers through which the subscriber can be contacted.

While in some embodiments reachability information associated with acommunications endpoint identifier comprises subscriber presenceinformation, QoS information, network traffic/congestion information,and/or subscriber preference information, reachability informationassociated with a communications endpoint identifier comprisesresponsiveness information in other embodiments. For example, acommunications endpoint identifier can be associated with responsivenessinformation indicating, specifying, or reflecting an observed ordetected pattern of communication responsiveness associated with thecommunications endpoint identifier. In some embodiments, theresponsiveness information comprises an estimated time to acknowledgereceipt of communications sent to the communications endpoint identifierfor example an estimated time for the subscriber associated with thecommunications endpoint identifier to read, view, or listen to incomingcommunications. In some embodiments, the responsiveness informationcomprises an estimated likelihood of response from the subscriberassociated with the communications endpoint identifier to communicationssent to the communications endpoint identifier. In other embodiments,the responsiveness information comprises an estimated time for responsefrom the subscriber associated with the communications endpointidentifier to communications sent to the communications endpointidentifier. Responsiveness information associated with a communicationsendpoint identifier may inform the communications endpoint identifier'sreachability conclusion in the sense of how likely a communication sentto the communications endpoint identifier will be acknowledged andresponded to in a timely manner.

In some embodiments, the translation service provides a managementinterface, accessible over a network, for updating reachabilityinformation associated in the translation database with a communicationsendpoint identifier. For example, a first VoIP provider can monitor thecurrent availability or presence of its subscribers. Then, the firstVoIP provider can access the management interface of the translationservice to update the presence information in the translation databaseassociated with the subscribers. In this way, when a second VoIPprovider uses the query interface of the translation service to obtainInternet contact information for a subscriber whose presence informationhas been recently updated in the translation database by the first VoIPprovider, the second VoIP provider can receive in response to the querycurrent presence information for determining whether the subscriber cancurrently be reached through the first VoIP provider.

In some embodiments, an association between a subscriber contactidentifier (e.g., a E.164 number) and a subscriber of a VoIP serviceprovider can be registered automatically with the translation serviceupon installation of the VoIP service provider's mobile application onthe subscriber's mobile device. In some embodiments, the subscribergrants the VoIP service provider's mobile application the requiredapplication permissions to access, at or from the mobile device, theinformation regarding the subscriber contact identifier duringinstallation of the application or on subsequent usage of theapplication. Alternatively, the subscriber may be prompted duringinstallation or subsequent usage of the mobile application to manuallyenter the subscriber contact identifier. The subscriber contactidentifier, along with the subscriber's VoIP communication endpointidentifier, can be reported to the translation service for storage inthe translation database. The reporting can be performed by the mobileapplication or the VoIP provider, for example, upon receiving thesubscriber contact identifier from the mobile application. Once theassociation between the subscriber contact identifier and thecommunications endpoint identifier has been established in thetranslation database, the translation service can provide, for example,to other querying subscribers and other querying VoIP providers, thecommunications endpoint identifier associated with the subscribercontact identifier. Thus, in accordance with some embodiments, simply byinstalling the mobile application on the mobile device the subscriber ismade discoverable, through the translation service, for Internetcommunications using the subscriber contact identifier. In someembodiments, in addition to registering with the translation service anassociation between a subscriber contact identifier and a communicationsendpoint identifier, reachability information for the communicationsendpoint identifier is also registered and stored in the translationdatabase in association with the communications endpoint identifier.

Example Networked Computing Environment

By way of example illustrated in FIG. 1 is block diagram of a networkedcomputing environment in which example embodiments of the presentdisclosure are implemented.

In this example, Subscriber A 10A at subscriber premises 12A wishes tocommunicate with subscriber B 10B according to a communication medium.The communication medium can be voice, video, e-mail, chat,teleconference, videoconference, text messaging, or any othercomputer-based communication medium compatible with techniques describedherein. To communicate with subscriber B 10B, subscriber A 10A providesa known subscriber contact identifier to communications endpoint deviceA 11A used by subscriber A 10A. The subscriber contact identifierconsists of any identifier suitable for contacting subscriber B 10Baccording to techniques described herein. For example, the subscribercontact identifier may be a PSTN telephone number (e.g., an E.164 phonenumber), an e-mail address, a user identifier specific to a particularcommunications application (e.g., a Skype® user identifier), or anyother suitable identifier compatible with techniques described herein.

To receive the subscriber contact identifier from subscriber A 10A,communications endpoint device 11A executes or is configured with acommunications application. Here, application refers to one or more setsof processor-executable instructions that implement particularfunctionality. In example embodiments, the communications application isa telephone application, a video application, an e-mail application, achat application, a teleconferencing application, a videoconferenceapplication, a text messaging application, a game application, or anyother communications application compatible with techniques describedherein. The communications application provides or interfaces with auser interface of endpoint device 11A for receiving the subscribercontact identifier and for otherwise facilitating communicationsaccording to the particular communication medium at hand. One or more ofthe sets of executable instructions may be part of an operating systemof communications endpoint device A 11A. Alternatively, all of theexecutable instructions may be part of an application that executes oncommunications endpoint device A 11A with the aid of the operatingsystem.

Communications endpoint device A 11A is any computing device compatiblewith techniques described herein. For example, communications endpointdevice A 11A can be a personal computer, a laptop computer, a mobilephone, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a workstation computer, akiosk computer, a desk VoIP phone, a fax machine, a game console, orother mobile or stationary, wire or wireless computing device capable ofcoupling communicatively with the Internet 30.

Upon obtaining the subscriber contact identifier from subscriber A 10A,communications endpoint device A 11A provides the subscriber contactidentifier over the Internet 30 to internet communications servicesystem A 21A, in conjunction with or as part of a network request toestablish communications with subscriber B 10B, as identified by thesubscriber contact identifier. The network request may be made accordingto any suitable IP-based networking protocol appropriate for negotiatingor establishing such communications. For example, the networkingprotocol may be the SIP protocol, the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)protocol, the Secure-HTTP (HTTPS) protocol, or any other IP-basednetworking protocol compatible with techniques described herein.

Internet communications service system A 21A is associated with (e.g.,operated by) VoIP provider 22A. In the presently described example,subscriber A 10A holds an account with VoIP provider 22A as part of anInternet communications service provided by VoIP provider 22A tosubscriber 10A. In this example, only one subscriber of VoIP provider22A is depicted in FIG. 1. However, in a commercial embodiment, VoIPprovider 22A may provide Internet communications services to multiplesubscribers.

The Internet communications services provided by VoIP provider 22Athrough Internet communications system A 21A involves one or morecommunications media. For example, VoIP provider 22A may provide one ormore of voice, video, e-mail, chat, fax, teleconference,videoconference, and text messaging services through Internetcommunications system A 21A.

Generally, Internet communications service system A 21A is implementedon or by one or more computing devices (e.g., server computers) hostedor co-located in one or more data centers that provide connectivity tothe Internet 30. In example embodiments, the computing devices (e.g.,web servers or SIP proxy servers) interface over the Internet 30 withcommunications endpoint devices of subscribers, like communicationsendpoint device A 11A. Other computing devices optionally provideback-end services (e.g., a data storage plane) to the computing devicesthat interface with communications endpoint devices. Still othercomputing devices include telephony and networking equipment forcommunicatively coupling to the PSTN 40. While in some embodimentsinternet communication service system A 21A is communicatively coupledto the PSTN 40, internet communications service system A 21A is not socoupled in other embodiments.

Upon obtaining the subscriber contact identifier from communicationsendpoint device A 11A, Internet communications service system A 21Acontacts translation service 50 over the Internet for the purpose ofobtaining Internet contact information associated in translationdatabase 51 with the subscriber contact identifier. Such contact may bemade according to any suitable IP-based networking protocol. Forexample, Internet communications service system A 21A may querytranslation service 50 according to the HTTP, HTTPS, or Domain NameSystem (DNS) protocols, as some possible examples. For example, Internetcommunications service system A 21A may send a query specifying thesubscriber contact identifier in one or more IP-based networkingprotocol data packets to translation service 50 and receivecorresponding Internet contact information in one or more returnedIP-based networking protocol data packets.

Upon receiving the query from internet communications service system A21A, translation service 50 consults translation database 51 for thepurpose of mapping the provided subscriber contact identifier toInternet contact information associated with the subscriber contactidentifier in the translation database 51. For this, translationdatabase 51 may store a number of translation records. Each translationrecord corresponds to one subscriber contact identifier. In some exampleembodiments, the translation records is indexed or keyed in translationdatabase 51 by the subscriber contact identifiers for fast access orlookup by translation service 50 using a given subscriber contactidentifier as a key. The translation database 51 is any databasesuitable for storing translation records including for example arelational database, a directory store, a file, or other data storageformat compatible with techniques described herein. Translation service50 and translation database 51 are implemented on or by one or morecomputing devices (e.g., server computers) hosted or co-located in oneor more data centers that provide connectivity to the Internet 30. Insome embodiments, translation service 50 and translation database 51 isoperated and maintained by a particular VoIP provider (e.g., VoIPprovider 22A). In other embodiments, translation service 50 andtranslation database 51 are operated and maintained by a consortium orindustry management group, which may or may not include one or more VoIPproviders. More generally, translation service 50 and translationdatabase 51 may be under the operation and management of one particularentity or a group of entities.

Once translation service 50 has consulted translation database 51 andmapped the subscriber contact identifier for subscriber B 10B providedby internet communications service system A 21A to correspondingInternet contact information for subscriber B 10B, translation service50 returns the corresponding Internet contact information or a portionthereof to internet communication service system A 21A. Generally, theInternet contact information returned to internet communications servicesystem A 21A can be any information suitable for establishingcommunications between subscriber A 10A and subscriber B 10B via aparticular communication medium. According to some embodiments, theInternet contact information includes one or more communicationsendpoint identifiers for contacting subscriber B 10B. More specifically,each communications endpoint identifier corresponds to an Internetaddress on the Internet 30 of an Internet communications service systemof a VoIP provider through which subscriber B 10B may be reachable via acommunication medium. In some embodiments, a communications endpointidentifier is in the form of a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) such asfor example “sip:mary@somecompany.com”, which is an example of a SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) URI. A uniform resource identifier, or “URI”,is a string or characters identifying a network resource. In addition toidentifying a network resource, a URI may also specify an accessmechanism for accessing the network resource such as for example “sip”or “http”. However, a communications endpoint identifier can take othercharacter string forms such as for example, an e-mail address, a uniformresource locator (URL), or any other information suitable foridentifying a resource on the Internet. For example, a communicationsendpoint identifier can a set of serialized parameter values for examplein JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format.

While in some embodiments an Internet communications service system isoperated by a VoIP provider, an Internet communications service systemis operated by other types of Internet service providers in otherembodiments. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limitedto Internet communications service systems operated by VoIP providers.

In addition to communications endpoint identifiers, the correspondingInternet contact information for the given subscriber contact identifiermay include reachability information for one or more the communicationsendpoint identifiers of the corresponding Internet contact information.For this, translation service 50 can store subscriber reachabilityinformation for communications endpoint identifiers in translationdatabase 51. Subscriber reachability information associated with acommunications endpoint identifier in returned Internet contactinformation can indicate the reachability or unreachability of thecorresponding communications endpoint identifier. The Internet contactinformation for subscriber B 10B obtained from translation database 51and containing reachability information can be communicated to Internetcommunications system A 21A in response to the query from Internetcommunications system A 21A specifying the subscriber contact identifierfor subscriber B 10B.

In some embodiments, reachability information associated with acommunications endpoint identifier includes preferences, as registeredby the subscriber, on use of specific modes of communication fordifferent classifications of communications. For example, acommunication targeted to the subscriber may be qualified as having acertain level of confidentiality, and the subscriber may have registereda preference for a communication mode for communications of a highlyconfidential nature. In situations of communication qualified asconfidential, the preferred mode of communication for confidentialmatters may be selected by the translation service 50 even if it is notdeemed to provide the highest degree of reachability. Similarly,Internet service providers may qualify certain communication of apromotional nature and this qualification may be provided as additionalcontext in the process of selecting one from multiple modes ofcommunication to a subscriber. Given that a subscriber may register apreference for a mode of communication to be used in cases ofcommunication of a promotional or soliciting nature. Here again, thechoice of communication mode may not favor the mode with the highestreachability.

As shown by example in FIG. 1, according to some embodiments, asubscriber identified by a subscriber contact identifier may usemultiple communications endpoint devices for communications. Forexample, subscriber B 10B uses communications endpoint devices B1 11B1and B2 11B2 at subscriber premises 12B. Communications endpoint devicesB1 11B1 and B2 11B2 may be like communications endpoint device A 11A butmay be different types of communications endpoint devices. For example,communications endpoint device B1 11B1 may be a mobile phone whilecommunications endpoint device B2 11B2 may be a desktop or workstationcomputer.

In addition to using multiple communications endpoint devices, asubscriber identified by a subscriber contact identifier may holdaccounts with multiple VoIP providers. For example, subscriber B 10B mayhold separate accounts with VoIP providers 22B1 and 22B2 correspondingto Internet communications service systems B1 21B1 and B2 21B2,respectively. Internet communications service systems B1 21B1 and B221B2 may provide the same or different communication services tosubscriber B 10B. For example, Internet communications service system B121B1 may provide voice, videoconferencing, and fax services tosubscriber B 10B and Internet communications service system B2 21B2 mayprovide just voice services to subscriber B 10B.

Translation Service Providing Reachability Information

Continuing the example of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 illustrates a system forproviding reachability information in conjunction with a translationservice on the Internet 30, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, the system can includetranslation service server 50 in operable communication with theInternet 30. Internet 30 can include Internet communications servicesystem A 21A for receiving signaling messages for establishingcommunication between communications endpoint device A 11A and ananother communications endpoint device on the Internet 30 throughanother Internet communications service system. For example, Internetcommunications service system A 21A can receive message(s) fromcommunications endpoint device A 11A and a subscriber identified by asubscriber contact identifier. Alternatively, Internet communicationsservice system A 21A can receive messages from any suitable source forestablishing communication with a subscriber identified by a subscribercontact identifier.

Internet communications service system A 21A determines whether a queryof translation service server 50 is required based on whether thesubscriber contact identifier corresponds to a subscriber that is not asubscriber of Internet communications service system A 21A or otherwisea subscriber of an Internet communications service provided by VoIPprovider 22A. For example, Internet communications service system A 21Adetermines that a query of translation service server 50 is requiredbased on determining that the subscriber contact identifier correspondsto a subscriber of another Internet communications service system ofanother VoIP provider. If Internet communications service system A 21Adetermines that a query is required, Internet communications servicesystem A 21A transmits a query to translation service server 50.Translation service server 50 includes a query interface module 202 forreceiving the query from Internet communications service system A 21A.The query contains the subscriber contact identifier. The subscribercontact identifier may be a called party telephone number, for example.Internet communications service system A 21A also includes a translationapplication 204 for performing a look up in translation database 51 forretrieving one or more communications endpoint identifiers andassociated reachability information associated with the receivedsubscriber contact identifier.

While in some embodiments an Internet communications service systemdetermines whether a query of the translation service is required basedon whether the subscriber contact identifier corresponds to a subscriberthat is not a subscriber of the Internet communications service, anInternet communications service system queries the translation servicewhere the subscriber contact indenter does correspond to one itssubscribers. For example, it may be beneficial to perform a query of thetranslation service because of reachability issues as described earlierin this disclosure, or a query to the translation service may beperformed as a fallback upon a failure to connect in-network to thedestination subscriber.

Translation database 51 may include reachability information 206containing reachability information for communications endpointidentifiers. In response to receiving the query from Internetcommunications service system A 21A, translation service server 50performs a look up in reachability information 206 to retrievereachability information for each of the communications endpointidentifiers. The retrieved reachability information for eachcommunications endpoint identifier indicates, directly or indirectly,the reachability or unreachability associated with the communicationsendpoint identifier. Translation service server 50 transmits to Internetcommunications service system A 21A a response message containing thereachability information for one or more of the communications endpointidentifiers corresponding to the queried subscriber contact identifier.

In some embodiments, translation service server 50 responds to the querywith only the communications endpoint identifiers that were indicated asreachable by the reachability information 206. Alternatively,translation service server 50 can respond to the query with thereachability information for all communications endpoint identifiers,even those that are unreachable.

In some embodiments, reachability is only one of multiple considerationsin selecting one of multiple communications endpoint identifiersassociated with a subscriber contact identifier. For example, despitereachability status of a communications endpoint identifier, thecommunications endpoint identifier may still be selected based on arequirement of the originating subscriber for the communication. Forexample, the communication may involve transmitting an image or video toa terminating subscriber via a live video stream. More generally, inaddition to reachability associated with a communications endpointidentifier, urgency, confidentially, privacy, quality, cost,communication content (audio, image, video, etc.) of communications tobe sent to the communications endpoint identifier can be other factorsfor selecting the communications endpoint identifier for communications.

In accordance with some embodiments, one of the communications endpointidentifiers identified as reachable in the response to Internetcommunications service system A 21A identifies a communications endpointdevice B2 11B2 reachable through Internet communications service systemB1 21B1. Internet communications service system A 21A utilizes thecommunications endpoint identifier for establishing communication overthe Internet 30 between communications endpoint device A 11A andcommunications endpoint device B2 11B2. Alternatively, Internetcommunications service system A 21A can communicate the communicationsendpoint identifier to communications endpoint device A 11A for use bycommunications endpoint device A 11A for establishing communication overthe Internet 30 between communications endpoint device B2 11B2.

In some embodiments, internet communications service systems B1 21B1 andB2 21B2 periodically or regularly communicate with translation serviceserver 50 via network interface 202 for purpose of providingreachability information 206 for communications endpoint identifiers.The provided reachability information may include reachability data suchas presence, quality-of-service, and/or priority for the communicationsendpoint identifiers from which a reachability conclusion (e.g.,reachable or unreachable) can be calculated according for example toheuristic or other decision algorithm. Alternatively, the providedreachability information may include a reachability conclusion for eachcommunications endpoint identifier.

Example Process for VoIP Provider Interconnection

FIG. 3 is a flow chart 300 illustrating example steps for VoIP providerinterconnection over the Internet 30 using a shared subscriber contactidentifier translation service, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Initially, an Internet communications servicesystem, such as Internet communications service system A 21A, receives asubscriber contact identifier such as for example a E.164 number or ane-mail address.

Next, Internet communications service A 21A communicates (e.g. bysending) a query message to translation service 50. The query messagecan specify the subscriber contact identifier. The query may beimplemented using an IP-based protocol. For example, the IP-basedprotocol can be a signaling protocol such as for example, SIP. The queryis received by the translation service at step 302.

At step 304, translation service 50 utilizes the query message forperforming a look up in translation database 51 to determine one or morecommunications endpoint identifiers associated with the receivedsubscriber contact identifier. As shown in FIG. 2, examplecommunications endpoint identifiers associated with subscriber contactidentifier 123456789 include sip:mary@xyz.com, sip:mary.smith@yyz.com,and mailto:mary.smith@xyz.com, and mailto:mary@yyz.com.

Translation database 51 can maintain data for indicating reachability ofthe communications endpoint identifiers associated with the subscribercontact identifier. Accordingly, at step 304, in addition to utilizingthe query message for performing a lookup to retrieve one or morecommunications endpoint identifiers associated with the receivedsubscriber contact identifier, translation service 50 can utilize thequery message for performing a look up in translation database 51 toretrieve reachability information for one or more of the communicationsendpoint identifiers associated with the received subscriber contactidentifier. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the only communicationsendpoint identifiers currently reachable are the communications endpointidentifiers associated with xyz.com domain. In particular, thecommunications endpoint identifiers sip:mary@xyz.com andmailto:mary.smaith@xyz.com are reachable by the communications endpointidentifiers sip:mary.smoth@yyz.com and mailto:mary@yyz.com are notcurrently reachable.

In the example of FIG. 2, the reachability information associated with acommunications endpoint identifier is a data indicating whether thecorresponding communications endpoint identifier is reachable orunreachable. In other embodiments, the reachability informationassociated with a communications endpoint identifier is raw reachabilityinformation. Here, raw reachability information for a communicationsendpoint identifier refers any reachability information from which areachability conclusion of “reachable” or “unreachable” can be computed,inferred, or derived. In some embodiments, the raw reachabilityinformation includes network quality-of-service information, subscriberpresence information, and/or subscriber preference information.Quality-of-service information can include any quantitative orqualitative measure of the network quality of service (e.g., errorrates, bandwidth, throughput, transmission delay, availability, jitter,etc.) that network communications with network endpoints associated withthe communications endpoint identifier may be expected to experience.Subscriber presence information can include any information indicatingthe availability or status (e.g., “available”, “away”, “offline”,“online”, etc.) of a subscriber associated with the communicationsendpoint identifier. Subscriber preference information can includeinformation on the preference of the subscriber associated with thecommunications endpoint identifier to be contacted for communicationsthrough the communications endpoint identifier.

At step 306, the translation service selects one of the communicationsendpoint identifiers based at least on the reachability informationassociated with the communications endpoint identifiers. According tosome example embodiments, the translation service 50 applies a heuristicalgorithm to determine a reachability of status for a communicationsendpoint identifier of “reachable” or “unreachable” based on rawreachability information obtained for the communications endpointidentifier. In other examples, the translation service 50 learns about apattern of reachability for a subscriber based on, for example, priorreachability status over a period of time. In some embodiments,reachability information is probabilistic or continuous in nature, basedupon a past historical pattern of behavior with a given communicationsendpoint identifier, such that reachability values of multiple possiblecommunications endpoint identifiers for the same subscriber may be fedinto a computation that determines the best choice of communicationsendpoint identifier for that subscriber based upon highest computedmatch score for each of the possible communications endpoint identifiersfor that subscriber, taking into account all the selection criteria andweights and importance assigned to each of the selection criteria.

At step 308, the translation service 50 returns a response to the queryfrom the Internet communications service system. The response includesat least the selected communications endpoint identifier. The responsecan also include the one or more communications endpoint identifiersretrieved from the translation database 51 associated with thesubscriber contact identifier. In addition, for one or more of thecommunications endpoint identifiers, the response may also includereachability information for the communications endpoint identifier. Thereachability information can be a reachability conclusion for thecommunications endpoint identifier. In addition or alternatively, thereachability information can be raw reachability information (e.g.,quality of service, presence, or preference information) from which thequerying Internet communications service system can apply a heuristicalgorithm to determine a reachability conclusion for the communicationsendpoint identifier.

In some embodiments, the Internet communications service system uses theresponse to the query to establish VoIP call between a called party anda calling party. For example, Internet communications service system A21A receives a SIP invite message from communications endpoint device A11A in response to subscriber A 10A (the calling party) providing asubscriber identifier (e.g., an E.164 number) for subscriber B 10B (thecalled party) to communications endpoint device A 11A. The SIP invitemessage specifies the subscriber contact identifier. In response toreceiving the SIP invite message, Internet communications service systemA 21A queries translation service 50 for Internet contact informationassociated with the subscriber contact identifier. The translationservice 50 returns in response to the query Internet contact informationassociated in the translation database 51 with the subscriber contactidentifier. For example, the returned Internet contact information mayspecify two SUP URIs and associated reachability information. Internetcommunications service system A 21A uses the reachability informationassociated with the two SIP URIs returned in response to the query toselect one of the SIP URIs for establishing a VoIP call with subscriberB 10B. For the example, the reachability information may indicate thatsubscriber B 10B is currently reachable through one of the SIP URIs butis currently not reachable through the other of the two SIP URIs.Accordingly, the Internet communications service system A 21A sends aSIP invite message for establishing a VoIP call between subscriber A 10Aand subscriber B 10B to the Internet communication service systemassociated with the currently reachable SIP URI. In this way, thetranslation service 50 facilitates VoIP provider interconnection overthe Internet 30 using the translation service 50.

In some embodiments, reachability information in translation database 51is used to establish a multi-party VoIP call. For example, thetranslation database 51 may store reachability information for a SIPconference URI such that an Internet communications service system thatis attempting to connect a calling party to a conference call at the SIPconference URI can use the reachability information associated with theSIP conference URI to connect the calling party to the conference callover the Internet.

Providing Reachability Status Changes

According to some embodiments, an Internet communications service systemprovides reachability information about communications endpointidentifiers associated with its subscribers to translation service 50.In these embodiments, the Internet communications service system mayreport reachability status changes of communications endpointidentifiers associated with its subscribers.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart 400 of example steps by which anInternet communications service system such as for example Internetcommunications service system B2 21B2 can provide reachabilityinformation to translation service 50, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, in step 402, Internetcommunications service system B2 21B2 sends reachability information forone or more communications endpoint identifiers to translation service50. In one example embodiment, Internet communications service system B221B2 sends the reachability information to translation service 50according to a “push” or “pull” mechanism. In the “pull” mechanism, theInternet communications service system B2 21B2 waits for the translationservice 50 to request reachability information and sends thereachability information to the translation server 50 in response to therequest.

The request, for example, may specify one or more communicationsendpoint identifiers that the translation service 50 is requestingreachability information for. Internet communications service system B221B2 may respond with reachability information for just the specifiedcommunications endpoint identifiers. According to the “push” mechanism,the Internet communications service system B2 21B2 periodically orregularly initiates communication with the translation service 50 forthe purpose of providing reachability information. For example, Internetcommunications service system B2 21B2 may provide reachabilityinformation for a communications endpoint identifier after servicesystem B2 21B2 has detected a change to the reachability status of thecommunications endpoint identifier. The reachability informationprovided for a communications endpoint identifier in step 402 mayinclude a reachability conclusion for the communications endpointidentifier (e.g., “reachable” or “unreachable”) and/or may include rawreachability information for the communications endpoint identifier(e.g., quality-of-service, subscriber presence, and/or subscriberpreference information for the communications endpoint identifier).

At step 404, the Internet communications service system B2 21B2 monitorsthe reachability and/or unreachability of communications endpointidentifiers of its subscribers. Next, at step 406, Internetcommunications service system B2 21B2 determines (or detects) whether achange to the reachability status for one or more of its subscribers'communications endpoint identifiers has occurred. If it is determined(or detected) that an update has occurred, the Internet communicationsservice system B2 21B2, at step 408, communicates to translation service50 an updated reachability information associated with thecommunications endpoint identifiers for which reachability statuschanges were determined or detected. Next, at step 410, translationservice 50 can update the reachability information in translationdatabase 51 for the changed communications endpoint identifiers. Theprocess then returns to step 404 to continue to monitor for reachabilitystatus changes. Returning to step 406, if there are no reachabilitystatus changes, Internet communications service system B2 21B2 cancontinue to monitor for changes at step 404.

General-Purpose Computer System

In some embodiments, the present disclosure is implemented on or by oneor more conventional or general-purpose computer systems. For example,FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 500 inwhich example embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied.Computer system 500 includes a bus 502 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information, and a hardware processor 504 coupled withbus 502 for processing information. Hardware processor 504 may be, forexample, a general purpose microprocessor or a system on a chip (SoC).

Computer system 500 also includes a main memory 506, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 502for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor504. Main memory 506 also may be used for storing temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of instructions to beexecuted by processor 504. Such instructions, when stored innon-transitory storage media accessible to processor 504, rendercomputer system 500 into a special-purpose machine that is customized toperform the operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system 500 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 508 orother static storage device coupled to bus 502 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 504.

A storage device 510, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, orsolid-state drive is provided and coupled to bus 502 for storinginformation and instructions.

Computer system 500 may be coupled via bus 502 to a display 512, such asa liquid crystal display (LCD) or other electronic visual display, fordisplaying information to a computer user. Display 512 may also be atouch-sensitive display for communicating touch gesture (e.g., finger orstylus) input to processor 504.

An input device 514, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 502 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 504.

Another type of user input device is cursor control 516, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 504 and for controllingcursor movement on display 512. This input device typically has twodegrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis(e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane.

Computer system 500 may implement the techniques described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),firmware, or program logic which, in combination with the computersystem, causes or programs computer system 500 to be a special-purposemachine. According to some embodiments, the techniques herein areperformed by computer system 500 in response to processor 504 executingone or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in mainmemory 506. Such instructions may be read into main memory 506 fromanother storage medium, such as storage device 510. Execution of thesequences of instructions contained in main memory 506 causes processor504 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternativeembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions.

The term “storage media” as used herein refers to any non-transitorymedia that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine tooperate in a specific fashion. Such storage media may comprisenon-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes,for example, optical disks, magnetic disks, or solid-state drives, suchas storage device 510. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such asmain memory 506. Common forms of storage media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid-state drive, magnetictape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any otheroptical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes,a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip orcartridge.

Storage media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction withtransmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between storage media. For example, transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise bus 502. Transmission media can also take the formof acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-waveand infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to processor 504 for execution. For example,the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk orsolid-state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 500 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 502. Bus 502 carries the data tomain memory 506, from which processor 504 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 506 mayoptionally be stored on storage device 510 either before or afterexecution by processor 504.

Computer system 500 also includes a communication interface 518 coupledto bus 502. Communication interface 518 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 520 that is connected to alocal network 522. For example, communication interface 518 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellitemodem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to acorresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communicationinterface 518 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a datacommunication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also beimplemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 518sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals thatcarry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 520 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 520 mayprovide a connection through local network 522 to a host computer 524 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 526.ISP 526 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 528. Local network 522 and Internet 528 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 520and through communication interface 518, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 500, are example forms of transmission media.

Computer system 500 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 520 and communicationinterface 518. In the Internet example, a server 530 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 528, ISP 526,local network 522 and communication interface 518.

The received code may be executed by processor 504 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 510, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

A software system is typically provided for controlling the operating ofcomputer system 500. The software system, which is usually stored inmain memory 506 and on fixed storage (e.g., hard disk) 510, includes akernel or operating system (OS) which manages low-level aspects ofcomputer operation, including managing execution of processes, memoryallocation, file and network input and output (I/O), and device I/O. TheOS can be provided by a conventional operating system such as, forexample, MICROSOFT WINDOWS, SUN SOLARIS, or LINUX.

One or more application(s), such as client software or “programs” or setof processor-executable instructions, may also be provided for executionby computer 500. The application(s) may be “loaded” into main memory 506from storage 510 or may be downloaded from a network location (e.g., anInternet web server). A graphical user interface (GUI) is typicallyprovided for receiving user commands and data in a graphical (e.g.,“point-and-click” or “touch gesture”) fashion. These inputs, in turn,may be acted upon by the computer system in accordance with instructionsfrom OS and/or application(s). The graphical user interface also servesto display the results of operation from the OS and application(s).

Extensions and Alternatives

In the foregoing disclosure, example embodiments of the disclosure havebeen described with reference to numerous specific details that may varyfrom implementation to implementation. The specification and drawingsare, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than arestrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of thedisclosure, and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope ofthe disclosure, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claimsthat issue from this application, in the specific form in which suchclaims issue, including any subsequent correction.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method offacilitating access by a subscriber over a communications network, themethod comprising: acquiring a query message comprising a subscribercontact identifier associated with the subscriber; responsive toacquiring the query message: identifying a plurality of communicationsendpoint identifiers associated with the subscriber contact identifier,each communications endpoint identifier being associated with acommunications device and reachability information, wherein thereachability information reflects a degree of subscriber accessibilityvia the communications device; and providing a response to the querymessage comprising at least one of the plurality of the communicationsendpoint identifiers, wherein the at least one of the plurality of thecommunications endpoint identifiers is selected based at least in parton the reachability information.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: using one of the at least one of the plurality of theidentified communications endpoint identifiers to establish a VoIP callbetween a communications endpoint device of a calling party and acommunications endpoint device of a called party; and wherein the querymessage is received from the communications endpoint device of thecalling parry.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of theplurality of the communications endpoint identifiers are selected basedat least in part on one of confidentially, privacy, monetary cost, andcommunications content information associated with one or morecommunications intended for the at least one of the communicationsdevices associated with the selected at least one of the plurality ofthe communications endpoint identifiers.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the subscriber contact identifier is an E.164 number.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one of the plurality ofthe communications endpoint identifiers is a uniform resource identifier(URI) or an e-mail address associated with the subscriber contactidentifier.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one ofthe plurality of the communications endpoint identifiers is a set ofserialized parameters identifying at least an Internet communicationsendpoint device and/or specifying a mechanism for accessing the Internetcommunications endpoint device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thereachability information indicates whether the communications device canbe reached via the communications network.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the reachability information comprises at least one of: a)information about a quality of service provided by a communicationsnetwork to the communications device associated with the reachabilityinformation, b) subscriber presence information about whether thesubscriber is available to be accessed via the communications deviceassociated with the reachability information, and c) subscriberpreference information about a level of preference for accessing thesubscriber via the communications device associated with thereachability information.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:prior to obtaining the query message, receiving the reachabilityinformation from an Internet communications service system; and storingthe received reachability information in association with the subscribercontact identifier in a translation database.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the reachability information is associated with the plurality ofthe communications endpoint identifiers in a translation database; andwherein identifying the plurality of the communications endpointidentifiers associated with the subscriber contact identifier comprisesobtaining at least one of the plurality of the communications endpointidentifier using the subscriber contact identifier as a database key.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to receiving thequery message, responsive to receiving a request to register anassociation between the subscriber contact identifier and the pluralityof the communications endpoint identifiers, storing an associationbetween the subscriber contact identifier and the plurality of thecommunications endpoint identifiers in a translation database.
 12. Anon-transitory computer readable medium that stores a set ofinstructions that are executable by at least one processor of anelectronic device to cause the electronic device to perform a method offacilitating access by a subscriber over a communications network, themethod comprising: acquiring a query message comprising a subscribercontact identifier associated with the subscriber; responsive toacquiring the query message: identifying a plurality of communicationsendpoint identifiers associated with the subscriber contact identifier,each communications endpoint identifier being associated with acommunications device and reachability information, wherein thereachability information reflects a degree of subscriber accessibilityvia the communications device; and providing a response to the querymessage comprising at least one of the plurality of the communicationsendpoint identifiers, wherein the at least one of the plurality of thecommunications endpoint identifiers are selected based at least in parton the reachability information.
 13. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions that areexecutable by the at least one processor of the electronic device tocause the electronic device to further perform: using one of the atleast one of the plurality of the communications endpoint identifiers toestablish a VoIP call between a communications endpoint device of acalling party and a communications endpoint device of a called party;and wherein the query message is received from the communicationsendpoint device of the calling party.
 14. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the pluralityof the communications endpoint identifiers are selected based at leastin part on one of confidentially, privacy, monetary cost, andcommunications content information associated with one or morecommunications intended for the communications device associated withthe selected at least one of the plurality of the communicationsendpoint identifiers.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 12, wherein the subscriber contact identifier is an E.164 number.16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein thereachability information comprises at least one of: a) information abouta quality of service provided by a communications network to thecommunications device associated with the reachability information, b)subscriber presence information about whether the subscriber isavailable to be accessed via the communications device associated withthe reachability information, and c) subscriber preference informationabout a level of preference for accessing the subscriber via thecommunications device associated with the reachability information. 17.An apparatus for facilitating access to a subscriber over acommunications network, the apparatus comprising: a memory device thatstores a set of instructions; and at least one processor capable ofexecuting the set of instructions to: acquire a query message comprisinga subscriber contact identifier associated with the subscriber;responsive to acquiring the query message: identify a plurality ofcommunications endpoint identifiers associated with the subscribercontact identifier, each communications endpoint identifier beingassociated with a communications device and reachability information,wherein the reachability information reflects a degree of subscriberaccessibility via the communications device; and provide a response tothe query message comprising at least one of the plurality of thecommunications endpoint identifiers, wherein the at least one of theplurality of the communications endpoint identifiers are selected basedat least in part on the reachability information.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further capable ofexecuting the set of instructions to: use one of the at least one of theplurality of the communications endpoint identifiers to establish a VoIPcall between a communications endpoint device of a calling party and acommunications endpoint device of a called party; and wherein the querymessage is received from the communications endpoint device of thecalling party.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least oneof the plurality of the communications endpoint identifiers are selectedbased at least in part on one of confidentially, privacy, monetary cost,and communications content information associated with one or morecommunications intended for the at least one of communications devicesassociated with the selected at least one of the plurality of thecommunications endpoint identifiers.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the reachability information comprises at least one of: a)information about a quality of service provided by a communicationsnetwork to the communications device associated with the reachabilityinformation, b) subscriber presence information about whether thesubscriber is available to be accessed via the communications deviceassociated with the reachability information, and c) subscriberpreference information about a level of preference for accessing thesubscriber via the communications device associated with thereachability information.